The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth's Past #1)

1. Definitely a hard science fiction book. If you are one for details and describing scientific concepts, particularly at the atomic level, look no further than Liu Cixin. His creativity and explanation of scientific concepts, and integrating it into a cohesive plot, is amazing. 
2. It's very quirky with a distinct Asian style of writing and humour - some parts of the book don't feel expressed in natural English form (and unsurprisingly, given this has been translated from Chinese)
3. It was fascinating to see how the three body problem (as it is known in theoretical physics) was approached and explained with real physics concepts.
4. I couldn't put the book down for the first 100 odd pages but thought the introduction of a video game as a plot device to explain the three body concept was very...weird. I didn't really like it at first. However, after more reading, it made sense and made for fun reading. By the end everything fit together perfectly
5. The integration of the three body problem with the concept of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) and against the backdrop of the Cultural Revolution was very well done.
6. That Liu can imagine how Earth would respond to alien life,  and how alien life could respond to Earth's existence, together with conceptualising the technological advancement, strategic thinking, culture and traits of these aliens,  and the way in which he philosophises about this hypothetical situation is a wonder to behold. 
7. The concept of communicating and travelling over long distances - light years -and aliens interfering with Earth life also made for very epic and interesting reading
8. Loved the quirky character Da Shi and his interactions 
9. Without spoiling too much I loved how Liu integrated the concept of cults, secret societies and conspiracies with the concept of aliens, military strategies and survival...it isn't just a sci fi book- it is equally a book about how to save the world and the meaning of being human
10. Chinese culture was also explored to a great extent which I liked 
11. Pacing issues are my only gripe about this book. Can't say I understood all the scientific technicalities but I enjoyed it. 
12. Overall probably a 4.4-4.6/5. It was amazing.